If I were to rank the AFCN teams as threats according to a percentage rate, it would be...

Cleveland 1%
Cincinnati 1%
Baltimore 1%

Steelers 97%

The fact of this matter is, the only way these "rivals" can beat us, is if we beat ourselves.

Period.

And I thought I was a homer.........You guys are so great, you will have another 15-1 season hell you will 16-0.......Whatever you can take your 1% and shove it up your ass, I am not going to trash talk you gyus until the Bengals beat you....

And I thought I was a homer.........You guys are so great, you will have another 15-1 season hell you will 16-0.......Whatever you can take your 1% and shove it up your ass, I am not going to trash talk you gyus until the Bengals beat you....

I hate the Ravens more than most (I went to college in MD), but let's be honest. The Ravens have a very good D, and while it is sometimes overhyped, it is still very good. The Bengals, on the other hand, do not have a good defense. Especially against the run, and if you can't stop the run in this division, you're not a real threat. People can say the Cincy D is improved, but it's just talk at this point. Any team that let the Browns drop 48 on them last year, at home, is not a defense to fear. The Cincy offense is definitely solid, and Baltimore's is lacking. But I'm more confident in getting 31-17 wins over Cincy than 13-9 struggling wins against Baltimore.

I've also seen the Ravens win plenty of games they had no business winning. Can't say I've seen the Bungles do the same.

I'm not concerned about any of our division rivals. Sure, they may have a chance against us in a head to head game, but eventually they will self destruct and/or drag each other down to where they belong: below us. To win the division, we just have to keep our collective eye on the prize.

For me its the Ravens. The Browns and Bengals need several players to play up to their potential to come back into contention. For the Reavens they really only have one who needs to start playing better and that is Boller. So if he can do better than the Ravens will be better.

i fear the ravens more then any of the other teams, the bengals will have another decent year but not to where they'll contend for the division. the browns still suck so obviously i don't worry about them beating us. the ravens have jamal lewis healthy and ready to take out his anger by running over ppl, heap is healthy and is a very good tight end, they got derrick mason, they got clayton who scares the shit out of me because i've seen what he can do, i'm a ut fan so i know what kind of threat he is. and their d is awesome, ed reed is crucial, suggs is good, rolle might be a good fit, and of course ray lewis. i think it's going to be a very tight race for the division but i say we take it by 1-2 games. damn i can't wait for the season to start, even though i can't watch the games cause i live in texas and i'm stuck watching the texans and cowboys. damn i'm looking at the schedule and i can't watch the steelers till oct. 10th, well at least i get to see them play a worthless preseason game on friday against the redskins.

Defence and Ball control will again be the strong suits of the Steelers. Assuming that they can keep Bettis and Staley healthy for the majority of the season they will still have the best 1-2 combo in the league at RB.
All eyes will be on QB Ben R - if I had a penny for everytime I heard the phrase 'sophomore slump' I would be considerably richer!
Amazingly some pundits/fans are managing to put a negative spin on an excellent 1st year for Ben - yes he was protected well by a top notch O-line and RB division - but the fact remains that he still outperformed 98% of QB's in their rookie year.
My major concern with this team is injuries at key positions ( a worry for every team I am sure) - not alot of depth at key skills positions on offence could leave the D shouldering the burden for large parts of the season.

Ravens -

On paper, the strongest deepest D in the NFL has improved again this year with a few acquisitions in the off-season.
With Jamal Lewis returning at RB and new WR target Mason, Kyle Boller is all set for an improved year at QB - no-one is looking for 300yard games - just consistent mistake free football should be enough to keep the Ravens competetive against all comers this year.
The Ravens are my official AFC 'dark horse'.

Bengals -

Exciting on paper, the Bengals highly touted Offence is all set for a high octane year.
Carson Palmer has showed us plenty of glimpses of elite talent - this is his year to put it all together as a package and lead the Bengals to the post season.
Strong and talented at WR and RB - the Bengals O will provide plenty of fireworks this year...and judging by the past performance of their D unit - they very well may need to.
The Bengals biggest weakness last year was undoubtedly their D - but on a positive note they have defnsively minded coach and some new talent from the draft to plug into key positions.

Browns -

Beginning of a rebuilding phase for Crennels Browns - this team will have two plans of action running concurrently.
Firstly, build from the bottom up - this means a much improved draft day performance and better judgement on younger talent.
Secondly, the plugging in of key veteran acquisitions in order to grab just enough wins for the next 2/3 seasons to keep Crennel in a job.
This franchise has been mismanaged so poorly the earliest playoff challenge wont be until 2008, but this process maybe be accelerated somewhat if they can keep trading dead wood to the Broncos.
The Browns are my official candidate for 'worst record in the league'

Ok folks here endeth a Pats fans take on the AFCN - bring on the proper games!